East Point shooting: Woman killed in drive-by outside Gus Thornhill funeral home

Woman killed in drive-by outside East Point wake

A 55-year-old woman, described as a "pillar of the community" and the "glue" of her peer group, was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting while attending a wake at Gus Thornhill Funeral Home in East Point.

EAST POINT, Ga. - A 55-year-old woman was killed in a drive-by shooting Friday afternoon while dropping her daughter off at a local funeral home, according to the East Point Police Department.

What we know:

It happened at the Gus Thornhill Funeral Home near the intersection of Gus Thornhill Jr. Drive and S. Bayard Street. 

Investigators say the victim was standing near the entrance of the building when multiple suspects in a vehicle opened fire on the property.

The woman, whose identity has not yet been released, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. 

A second woman sustained minor, non-life-threatening injuries and was treated by medical personnel on-site.

East Point Police Chief Shawn Buchanan called the shooting a "senseless act of violence."

"I would like to express our deepest sympathy for the families who experienced this tragedy," Buchanan said. "It’s an outrage that cowardly individuals chose to commit such senseless acts of violence while four families attending viewings were at their most vulnerable. Our team will not rest until justice is served."

Preliminary reports indicate the victim was at the funeral home to drop off her daughter for a family member's viewing. At the time of the shooting, four different families were inside or near the facility for services.

Investigators were seen combing the area, which remained cordoned off by police tape as loved ones gathered to hug and console one another.

What they're saying:

While police have not yet identified the suspects, witnesses and friends were left reeling by the location of the attack. A friend of the victim identified her as a woman attending a wake for her daughter’s grandmother.

According to the victim's friend, a confrontation broke out in the neighborhood before a bullet struck the woman.

Ken Lott, who described himself as a friend of the deceased, expressed shock at the location of the violence.

"This is the last place you’d expect things like this, but that’s the state of the nation," Lott said. "Man, this is crazy, it’s absolutely insane. This is a lady who was supposed to be going to a wake. You know?"

East Point police cruisers surround the Gus Thornhill Funeral Home during an investigation into a reported shooting on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (FOX 5)

He described the woman as a "pillar of the community." Lott described the victim as a well-known figure with deep ties to South Atlanta High School, Fulton High School, and Walter F. Jones High School. "One of the important people that I hear, hundreds of people in our southeast Atlanta community know and love," he said.

The emotional toll on those arriving for the service was evident. Lott noted the difficulty of even reaching the location, calling the situation "incredibly bad" and "disturbing."

"The area is a stranger to this kind of stuff," Lott said. "For some reason, we're always shocked when it's only someone we know, but it's always somebody's loved one. It doesn't get my kids, man, it's just crazy. This is the way it's supposed to be going to a wake, you know?"

What we don't know:

Authorities are still working to determine who opened fire.